Topic: Join a Windows 7 Client to SME 9 configured as 1st PDC

[jwmw]

Hello Everyone,

I just installed SME Server9, (servergatewaymode), configured some Users, set the SME Server as Primary Domain Controller and defined workgroup and servername.

DNS resolution (by the SME-Server) just works fine.

Now I want to add some Windows 7 machines.

I followed this guide (which is apart from the patch the same like joining a normal windows domain): http://wiki.contribs.org/Windows_7_Support

But no Windows machine can't join the domain. The error of windows ist the following:

Error: "The DNS-Name is not present"
Errorcode: 0x0000232B RCODE_NAME_ERROR


SME Server is also configured as the DHCP Server:
ipconfig on the windows machine gives the following info:
IP adress: 10.0.0.21
NetMas: 255.255.0.0 (as there are more than 254 machines in the network)
Gateway: 10.0.0.1 (Which is the IP of the SME Server)


Whats wrong here?

[Stefano]

Hi, welcome here

are you trying to join your primary domain (i.e. mydomain.tld) or your workgroup's name?

you must use the second one

[jwmw]

Im trying to join the primary domain: "gotrain.local" (the WINS/NETBios server-name is gserver)

I tried to join the Windows 7 Professional Machines (2 two of them, ASUS CoreI 3 Machines) as you do it when joining a Windows Domain. So I put in the domain name as configured in SME Server "gotrain.local"

There is only that one SME Server in the Network.

nslookup (on the windows machines) is able to resolve "gotrain.local" to 10.0.0.1 but says "not authorized answer"

[Stefano]

you must use the workgroup name you used in server-manager -> workgroup page

[janet]

jwmw

Primary domain and DOMAIN are different things.
The answer has been provided, use the workgroup name from server manager, as that is your DOMAIN name for joining a trusted network otherwise called a DOMAIN.


Re the primary or main domain of gotrain.local, you should not use this type of Windows style domain (web URL) naming parlance on SME server, as it will cause you problems in the future, especially with email & reverse lookups etc. Other servers will not trust your server as the domain name is not a resolvable URL. Use gotrain.com or whatever your registered main web domain name is.
This is configurable in the admin console ie login as admin at the command prompt which then displays the admin console menu, then select Configure this server, step through the options changing the primary or main domain name, then save & reboot.


For DOMAIN name (referring to a trusted DOMAIN) & same as workgroup name in SME server, only use a single word without punctuation marks etc eg gotrain or gserver (not gotrain.local or gserver.local).
This is configurable in server manager.

[jwmw]

janet and Stefano. Thank you! That really helps a lot.

This solves the problem!

Cheers.